A pub in central Cheltenham merely yards from the town’s parish church can continue to host lapdancing next year.

The 2 Pigs in Church Lane off Cheltenham High Street applied to renew its Sexual Entertainment Venue licence that it was given in January this year.

The venue will be able to host lapdancing organised by Red Apple Associates, which uses the trading name Eroticats during racing meetings at Cheltenham racecourse.

Red Apple trades as eroticats

The company has been given permission to organise sexual entertainment such as strippers or pole or lapdancing on January 27 next year, during the Gold Cup meeting between 16 and 18 March, 18 and 19 April, May 4 and January 1 2019.

Read More

Whereas there had been 50 objections at the January licensing meeting, there was one this time, from Councillor Flo Clucas who believes the pub is too close to St Mary’s Church.

The Police had made no objections, and while there had been a number of complaints to the police from evenings covered by the existing licence, it was confirmed by Cheltenham Borough Council’s licensing officer that most where during Raceweek in March, and most were complaints of theft or pickpocketing by other customers and were not more than would be expected from any licensed premises for that period.

2 Pigs, lower High Street, Cheltenham

The matter was considered by the new alcohol and gambling licensing sub-committee.

Read More

Councillor Tim Harman, (C, Park) said he voted against the licence in January because he thought the 2 Pigs was not in a suitable area, and was too close to the Church. He said: “I still feel that and will not be voting to approve the renewal of the licence.”

"Unhappily vote to allow this"

Another councillor Pat Thornton (LD, St Peters) said: “I don’t really like these sort of venues operating in our town, but the government has said they are legal. So I will unhappily vote to allow this because I prefer to have this activity fully and properly licensed than have it happen under exemption.”

Mrs Thornton was referring to the fact that under national legislation any licenced venue such as a pub or club can hold one day of sexual entertainment per month without needing to have a license or inform the council or police.

Councillor Dennis Parsons (LD, Pittville) took a different view. He said: “I’m an old-fashioned liberal. What consenting adults do in private is up to consenting adults as long as no harm is caused. I’ve visited the pub and I can see no harm - you can’t see or hear what’s going on inside and the signage was very discreet. Any objection, however you dress it up, is purely on moral grounds, and that’s not good enough.”

The licence was granted, with conditions on advertising, by four votes to one.